Civil Twilight
by Sloth42
Summary: "Let's do a headcount. Right. So, all the pirates from the game just so happens to here, at the same place, at the same time. Now, what the fuck am I doing here!" James Kidd/oc, reader
1. Note to self: don't steal from pirates

This is mostly an attempt at getting back to writing. I've been meaning to continue stories I've already posted, on this account and others, but I seem to have completely dropped the habit. Please be patient with me! :)

* * *

 **" _Come all you young sailor men, listen to me,_**

 ** _I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea"_**

It was a balmy afternoon in Nassau and bits of the shrubbery near the tavern was trembling, but from something far more solid than the wind. The girl, or rather the young woman, peaked out from behind the leafwork.

 _Okay, okay, let's do a headcount. Right. Who's here, let's see..there's Charles Vane, best steer clear of him. Oh dear, Edward Thatch. Really? This is getting seriously scary! Too many pirates in one spot mate!_ _Okay don't freak out! No freakin's here. Hornigold is at the bar along with Adéwale, which must mean that his Captain isn't far away. Aaand there he comes, along with James Kidd. So, all the pirates from the game just so happens to here, at the same place, at the same time. Now, what the fuck am I doing here?!_

Joan looked down at her attire. Thank god for fancy dress parties! Brown cotton pants, light leather shoes, a basic men's size shirt, a thigh-long dark green jacket. Not too suspicious, all things considered. She looked back at the collection of pirates converging at Nassau's watering hole, laughing and drinking and cajoling without a care in the world, completely unaware that a woman from the 21st Century; a world where theirs were the lives of fiction, was currently watching them from a patch of shrubbery.

This was a problem. She couldn't even go up and get a drink of some sort in a careful attempt at blending in. She didn't have any money on her, and certainly no "Reales". But perhaps, if she was clever, she could get some.

Nassau seemed to be doing well, prospering as much as a pirate-run town could, but even pirates need some sort of organization. A stash of weapons, ammunition, rum and money. Think Joan! Not the bar, too central, too obvious. One of the ships? Nah, too vulnerable. Perhaps in the outskirts of the town. Either way, it's high time to quit being such a creeper and leave the shrubbery before some inebriated soul finds her.

Luckily enough it was dusk, so if anyone saw the shape of a young woman suddenly appearing from behind the tree, no one would believe them. Head down and walking as casually as possible Joan walked towards the forest, away from the tavern and the raucous laughter of the buccaneers. Taking deep breaths and trying not to panic at the fact that she had somehow ended up inside a video game, Joan walked on.

 _Hello lovely_. The first and only applicant so far to her theory turned out to be a smallish house with a separate cellar door, the only one she had seen so far. Looking over her shoulder to check that she was alone, Joan stepped up to the hatch in the ground. A rough padlock kept it closed but with the help of a nearby spade and some carefully applied(brute) force, Joan could pry it open.

Very little sunlight remained in the sky but it was just enough for her to spot the gleaming of metal down below. Hands brushing against the damp walls, Joan descended.

It was stifling, the heat from the day lingering, the only noise in the small space was her footsteps and her own breath. Making use of the last light she rummaged around, looking through crates and the like until her fingers met the round smooth surface of coin, some lying loose, some in pouches. There seemed to be no proper organization of the currency so Joan grabbed a pouch on random, hurriedly closing the lid and scurrying up the stairs. Just as she was closing the hatch she heard voices.

"Oy Kidd, ya need any help? That crate looks heavier than you, man!" Joan would know those Welsh tones anywhere; Edward Kenway. Coming this way. And from the sound of it, James Kidd as well. _Crap._ Joan tried to hurry with the padlock but froze momentarily when she remembered that she'd broken it to get inside in the first place. _Double crap._ She looked between the lock and the sound of the voices. She heard Kidd answer but couldn't focus on the words, only the blood pumping in her ears. Civil twilight or no, she could still make out the tensing of Kidd's frame as he came round the corner, spotting her by their not-so-secret stash. She didn't need to see his eyes to know that they looked between her form, the pouch of coin in her hand and the shovel by the hatch.

He dropped the crate at the same time Joan started running.

The angry shouts of Kidd echoed back from Kenway and Joan assumed she now had both on her tail. Two pirates, both skilled in the art of killing and climbing in rigs, both with better knowledge of this island. Running seemed futile but she had to try! Sure, they seemed reasonable to each other in the game, sometimes even pleasant, but then again Joan had never finished it. Who knew what they might do to a thief?

She nearly collided with a tree before jumping over a log, the vegetation full of roots and vines that almost tripped her time and time again. _Come on Joan, change directions. You need to shake 'em_. She ducked abruptly beneath a huge tree's roots, holding her breath despite the screaming of her lungs as she heard them both pass her by. _Ten seconds, then I run._ _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eig- oh fuck it!_ She took to the right and ran as fast as she could, trying hard not to make too much noise. Jump, duck, sprint, jump, stumble, get up, sprint. This went on for what felt like forever before she found another tree to hide behind. Calming herself she listened. And listened. And listened.

And heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. No footsteps, no curses, no jeering shouts with ominous threats. Joan could feel panic creep up on her again. Why couldn't she hear them?! Surely it wasn't that easy?

It was now completely dark, the trees not even letting the moonlight through their intricate canopy. Joan took a step away from the tree and looked at it as best she could in the darkness. From what she could make out it was fairly young, meaning it had a lot of branches low on the trunk. Taking a deep breath she grabbed the closest branch.

Joan couldn't tell how much time she spent on climbing that tree, it was too dark to look at the small watch she carried on a chain round her neck. Eventually she found a branch thick enough to relax on without fear of sliding down. As if to add insult to injury a clap of thunder shook the silence of the night, followed immediately by big drops of water crashing down upon Joan where she sat, huddled against the thick trunk and the vines growing around it. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as her heart settled.

 _The perfect end to a perfect day._

" _**And it's-**_

 _ **Windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys.**_

 _ **When the wind blows, we're all together, boys;**_

 _ **Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow,**_

 _ **Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes.** "_


	2. Must've been the tree

Okay, so I wrote this rather quickly and therefore I apologize for any spelling mistakes you'll inevitably find in this chapter!

I own nothing(except perhaps Joan).

* * *

 _Eurgh_

Joan's back hurt. A lot, and by a lot she meant that it felt like someone had stomped on it, repeatedly.

 _Must be the tree_

She had spent the entire night perched in it, the rain drizzling down at her like a chef applying vinegar a bit too liberally in the albeit fruitless hope that it would somehow lighten up the salad. Wilted and feeling near decomposition from the heavy moisture hanging in the air, Joan realised that perhaps the tree was not an ideal hideout in daylight. The sun was rising in the East and unless they got piss drunk the night before Kidd, and probably Kenway as well(and who knew who else) would be up searching for her. Perhaps they already were.

First things first.

Joan peeked over the edge of the thick branch she'd slept on, she realised it was quite a ways down. Or at least it looks that way when you're not a huge fan of heights. Not panicky in any way, mind you, just...sensibly nervous about them. Taking a deep breath she straightened back up again, slowly starting to edge towards the side of the branch.

"D'you need help gettin' down?"

Joan shook her head absentmindedly, eyes focusing temporarily on the foliage in front of her in a vain attempt at distraction.

"No thanks, I'm good."

 _Hold the phone_

Joan looked up, in the direction from where the voice had come. One foot propped up in front of him, the other dangling in the air above her, James Kidd smirked lopsidedly at her from behind a pipe.

"Mornin'"

Joan gazedd up at him for a few more seconds, blinking numbly, and then she dropped. She would later remember that event as one of the few moments in her life when she'd been perfectly graceful at the exact right moment. She would also remember that day as the last time she ever escaped Captain James Kidd.

"Oy! Kidd!" Said pirate turned his attention back to Edward. "So? What's with the glum face this time?" Kidd glared half-heartedly at Edward from over his rum, courtesy of Anne, before returning his gaze to the ocean view from the pub porch.

"That girl, the one from last night? I went to find 'er this morning" Edward waves over a pint of rum for himself, glancing at Kidd as he speaks. "I'm telling you Kenway, there's something weird goin' on with that lass. First she outruns us both, then she eludes me in broad daylight."

"Maybe you're getting sloppy, James." Kidd glares at him fully this time. Kenway raises his hands in the air, a gesture of mock surrender but a smirk still flirting with one edge of his lips.

 _Okay, that was...harrowing!_ Joan was currently huddled up in her latest hideout, a long abandoned overturned rowboat that had somehow ended up far enough from the beach to remain hidden amongst the palm trees. She had the vague feeling of being a little girl again, hiding in the cupboard playing hide-and-seek with her friends. _Except that this time it's with a murderous pirate/assassin who wants me dead for some money I stole._ Joan searched her coat pockets, fingers clasping the buttery leather of the pouch filled with currency of this time and era. _Reales_ Joan thought vaguely. _Looks like I've turned thief._ She stuck her fingers down the pouch, once more feeling like a child who found the honey pot, and withdrew five golden coins that caught the sunlight streaming in from the cracks in the wood. As her fingers caressed the gleaming metal resting in her palm Joan tried to figure out how she'd outrun James Kidd, twice now. From her experience in the game he was almost even more nimble a runner than Kenway, body lithe and swift and ever silent as he hunted, for that was how Joan felt right now; hunted. Now she had some money but because Kidd would surely be out searching for her she wouldn't get anywhere close to the vendors selling freshly baked bread, fruit or even fish. She knew nothing of the island she was on, what was edible and what was poisonous, or even what animals or reptiles _cue_ _shudder_ might be hiding amongst the vegetation. Joan felt lucky she hadn't been stuck by a scorpion or eaten by some hungry feline yet. Kidd was a bigger problem though, he seemed stubborn. _Determined more like it._

Right then Joan heard voices close by. She tried to make herself as small as possible while also edging closer to the bigger of the cracks in the hull, trying to hear if it was Kidd or even Kenway. It was neither. The red uniforms of the British fleet were unmistakable even to Joan's limited vision.

"Alright. What are our orders?"

"According to the Commander, we need to get that big Galleon out of the way. Tonight you and I will sneak around the Island and climb onboard. I'll guard the entrance while you set the explosives. Then we sneak back and get out of this shit-hole before first light."

"Haha, that will show them!"

"Now, we need to get..."

The rest of the conversation was unintelligible to Joan as the soldiers passed her by, disappearing further away across the shoreline. Joan had heard enough though and knew precisely what she needed to do and that was to get her hands on a rifle. Without Kidd finding her first.

A few hours later, food all but forgotten, Joan tiptoed out of the makeshift armory of the island, a great big musket slung across her shoulder and a bag of gunpowder and bullets and the like in her hand. The sun stood high and Joan was sweating profusely but sneaked away into the bushes, feeling especially proud of the two fist-sized grenades weighing down her coat pockets. Thank god she's had her lighter with her to that fancy-dress party that now seemed so distant. _Never thought I'd find the fact that I'm a bit of a party smoker lucky._

After a few minutes of walking she reached a small sort of meadow with a decent view of the Galleon's masts in the distance, a firm beacon of the place she knew she should avoid but would regardless visit tonight; the harbour. It was when she was haphazardly loading the musket, going on instinct and amateur knowledge alone, that she came to a sobering realization; she was currently planning not only one but two murders. _But, this isn't reality is it? It's just a video game._ But if it were only a game, then why did her feet hurt from all the walking? How could she feel the beat of the sunlight on her bare head if none of this was real? Joan shook her head a little. _Can't think of that now. Save Nassau first, then consider the morality of it all._

Joan feelt like a creep. A complete and utter creep. Musket loaded and lighter close at hand she was currently in the process of sneaking through the night towards the huge hulking Galleon that guarded the passage into Nassau's harbor. This particular path took her past all the houses scattered along the road and Joan had already witnessed two marital rows, one bathing session and three...Joan was loathe to call any of them lovemaking but close enough. Regardless it left her feeling like an unintentional voyeur. _No matter, here we are._ She had reached the shoreline and now she only needed to find a place to hide. Hearing voices she found refuge among some shrubs nestled between two boulders. Musket at the ready she waited and heard the voices increasing in volume as the two soldiers crept closer. As the two were exiting the tree-line Joan took aim, as best she could. _Okay, stay calm, slow breaths. Gun against the shoulder, there. Steady and calm, it's just like paintball._ Joan chose a target and pulled the trigger.

The noise was deafening in the dark air and Joan fell over from the recoil, feeling the residual gunpowder stain her face and throat, burning at the skin for a flash of a moment just as she heard one of the men scream and then a body hitting the sand. She scrambled to reload the gun but soon realised it would be impossible to do in the dark. Her hand automatically went for the grenade in her right coat pocket, the other gaining a firm grip on the lighter. The light of torches emerging from the town closing in on their position caused the already frightened soldiers to panick even further, both swearing heavily, one of them in a tone that could onlt be called anguished. _Shit. I need to get out of here._

Face spattered with black spots from the gunpowder and heart beating like the voice of a cicada and head beginning to ache from both the recoil and also a lack of food and water, Joan scrambled up from her kneeling position and started egding away from the two soldiers who were too focused on trying to reach their rowboat to take any notice of her. Someone else did though, a thin lithe figure approach swiftly with a torch in one hand and pistol in the other, flanked by several others, spectre like. Leaving the musket where it lay Joan entered the tree line, chancing a look back and finding the breath knocked from her being as she spotted the figure in the middle dropping the torch in the sand and setting off like a shot straight towards her, seemingly ignoring the two soldiers now cowering at the sight of the pirates closing in on them. Joan let go of the grenade she'd been holding onto. _Run, foolish girl, run._ A second later Joan was sprinting through the forest, feet desperately searching for steady footholds on the jungle floor, breath coming fast and rapid now. But Joan kept having the feeling of running as if in a dream; always too slow to escape, and then she remembered the second grenade and abruptly stopped whre she stood. Without thinking she scrambled for purchase, lighting it and finally throwing the thing in the direction she'd come from, hoping it would be enough of a distraction for anyone following to leave her alone already, before taking off once more, the explosion throwing splinters and debris after her. But this time her legs refused to stop. _If I stop I die. I musn't stop. I can't stop. I won't stop._

"Stop!" The accented voice cut through the night, distantly resonating within Joan's eardrums but the girl refused to cease her running. "Stop lass!"

Joan felt the steady beat of her feet increase, her pursuers presence egging her on. Her vision was starting to blur, her surroundings flickering in and out of focus. She was starting to stumble with every other step, body stubbornly moving forward, and Joan felt her energy starting to abandon her. _No! Not now! Come on! Just a little more_. She couldn't hear anything over the noise of her own breath and the crunching of leaves and twigs underfoot.

The trees passing her by were suddenly gone, leaving only sharp moonlight to burn at Joan's retinas, making her cry out at the strong glow reflected in the waves beneath the drop of the cliff she now found herself at the edge of and she gripped frantically at a thin palm tree to stop her forward motion. Leaning against the young tree she felt her vision swimming, her balance suddenly on tilt and for a moment she simply stood there, body swaying from side to side, oscillating in the breeze. The the world turned and she felt her fingers loose grip of the tree, her body loose and limp as it fell over the edge. Or that's what it felt like anyway.


	3. You come here often?

Okay, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but at least I wrote it down, amazingly enough. Also, I have yet to decide on where to go with James Kidd/Mary Read's gender. Thoughts? Opinions? Preferences?

Hope it's to your liking, whosoever reads this!

Reviews are much loved and appreciated!

I own nothing!

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" _He said; Fair maid, what brought you here?"_

* * *

"Urgh" Joan rolled over onto her other side, body protesting fiercely at the lazy movement. "Why does this keep happening to me?" She heard an amused scoff from somewhere,

"This happens often does it?"

She blearily opened her eyes to see worn wood in front of her, eyes darting around confusedly, head lifting ever so slightly.

"Over here, lass" Rolling over once more in search of the voice, Joan groaned, mind still hazy from sleep and fatigue. She found herself very much awake a few seconds later though as she scrambled up and backwards with a yelp of fright at the sight of James Kidd sitting on a chair just a few feet away before yelling out once more in surprise as she fell off the other side of the bed. Kidd snickered good-naturedly,"You all right there, little lady?"

Joan poked her head up from the floor, glaring slightly at the pirate despite her brow still furrowed in worry and lids pulled back in fear. Seeing his relaxed pose on the chair, indicating that he wasn't about to butcher her right this second, Joan crawled back onto the bed again, sitting properly this time, feet against the wooden floor. Only then did she realize they were bare and that her coat was missing from her person.

A quick glance around the room revealed her boots neatly tucked beneath a chair, the coat hung over the back. Further inspection of the room revealed a desk, a cabinet filled with books, bottles and what looked to be clothes, a bureau and, of course, the man himself who seemed to be observing her much like she was observing the room.

He was more striking in person she decided; eyes dark in the dim light, scar a harsh line across his otherwise elegant features; the very soul of confidence with his booted feet propped up on a small stool, hands closing the book he'd probably been reading while she slept. Joan returned her gaze to his dark eyes.

"The money's in the coat," she nudged her head towards said garment, slightly unnerved when Kidd's eyes refused to follow the movement and leave her form for a second,"I knew it was stupid to steal from pirates in the first place but I couldn't think of any other way at the time." Kidd continued to stare at her. "So...just take it and leave me alone, alright?" No reaction. "and would you please stop staring at me?! I'm not a bloody sea monster!"

Kidd chuckled and finally quirked a somewhat normal smile, teeth shining as he put away his book on the desk to his left. Joan's eyes immediately went to his wrist guards which were just visible beneath the edge of his coat sleeve. _Assassin_ a small voice whispered in the back of her head and she gulped silently. She'd almost forgotten about that part. The metal seemed to gleam menacingly at her, despite her knowledge of the Assassin code of conduct. She looked up to his face just in time to see his eyes narrow at her, the whites almost disappearing, leaving him with dark slots for eyes that seemd to gaze right through her.

"Where did you come from?" Joan almost jumped at the sudden sound of his voice.

"What?"

"Where did you come from? I've asked around, you didn't come here with any of the recent ships and you can't have been here for very long either; with hair such as yours you're bound to be noticed, and remembered. So, where did you come from?"

Joan would have expected him to sound more threatening but his voice was surprisingly calm and more curious than vicious, though Joan knew that could change quickly. Swallowing again she licked her lips, attempting to find an explanation to offer him.

She opened her mouth, drew air, and met Kidd's expectant eyes. Joan hesitated, closed her mouth again.

 _Fuck_.

Kidd seemed to sense her difficulty and sighed slighty. He put his feet on the ground, legs apart, and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, calloused fingers

lacing together as he looked at her. "You're so pale, it don't make any sense." he murmured as his eyes moved over her face. "A simpler question then, since the first made you turn all oyster-like on me. What were you thinking when you decided to steal a musket and two heavy grenades and lie in wait for two of Her Majesty's finest, despite having no experience with guns?"

Joan looked affronted for a moment, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "I wasn't as incompetent as all that, now was I?"

Kidd snorted, "Ye almost blew yourself to bits, lass!" Joan continued to glare at the buccaneer who didn't feel like hiding his amusement one bit if the shitty grin on his face was any indication.

 _You little..._

Joan raised an eyebrow.

"Your galleon is still intact, isn't it?"

This caused Kidd to sober up a bit, going back to staring searchingly at her as he leaned back in his chair once more.

"Aye, it is. How a small thing like yourself would know about it though, or the planned sneak attack, is what I'd like to know."

Joan buried her face in her hands, sighing tiredly.

"Listen, can't you just say 'thanks', take back your money and let me leave, okay? I'm getting a bit tired with the whole..." she gestured wildly at Kidd, "soul-staring shit." He just smirked at her.

"Uncomfortable, little lass?"

 _That is it._

Joan felt her last patience snap.

"And stop calling me little!" She was shouting now,"or small, or 'wee' or whatever the fucking word is! I'm not a child! I saved your fucking galleon, you've chased me around the island for almost two days and I haven't eaten in almost three; can't you just leave me alone now 'cause I'm really bloody ti-whoah!"

As she attempted to stand up in order to point an angry finger in Kidd's face, completely forgetting who exactly she was talking to or how dangerous this man was, she almost fell over as her legs gave out, the world being filled with little black spots in seconds. She felt two arms wrap around her waist and pulling her to lean sideways against a firm chest that smelled of leather, but Joan was only half there, her mind aching to rest some more and the shoulder her head found a second later was at a perfect height.

The world tilted and then she felt the soft mattress beneath her and the black spots started receding. Vaguely she heard Kidd saying something.

"Wha?"

"Miss, you've got to let go of my coat now." Joan smirked briefly before blinking furiously, trying to bring the world back into focus while also accomplishing what he was asking. _When did I grab onto his coat?_

"'Miss' now, is it?"

As she slowly started to release her firm grip on the leather she felt rough calloused fingers prying her own loose with surprising gentleness.

"Can't have ye throw another one of those tantrums now can I? You're in no fit state to be fightin' anythin' or anyone." Joan felt her hands being lowered to rest on her stomach, Kidd's face emerging above her. His eyes seemed almost darker up close, but warmer somehow.

 _And that is relevant...how?_

"How about we make a deal? I go and fetch you something to eat and drink, and when you've eaten, you'll tell me about the galleon. Alright?"

Joan stared up at him for a moment. She nodded.

"Alright. Stay where you are meanwhile, don't want ye falling over again." He smirked slightly and then he was gone.

When he returned a few minutes later Joan was sitting up, one hand propped up behind her while the other rubbed at her eyes. The pirate-assassin took a moment to appreciate the way the candle-light made her hair look like fire. However, as soon as the smell of bread and cheese met Joan's nose her eyes were upon him, all signs of bleary tiredness gone due to the sudden focus on the food. He handed her the plate which was filled with fresh bread, a bit of cheese and some fruit. It was almost midnight so he'd simply picked out what was easy to get to. Not that Joan seemed to mind the simplicity; she was scarfing down the bread like a mad-woman.

"Hey, slow down! You're going to be sick if you eat it all at once." Joan stopped chewing and looked up at him as if she'd forgotten he was there, blushing all the way to her ears.

 _Shit, I probably looked like a crazy person just now_.

She started chewing more slowly, smiling slightly when Kidd nodded approvingly. "Since you seemed quite intent on continuing to run from me, I'm guessing you already know who I am?" Joan nodded, eyes momentarily flickering between Kidd and the glass still in his hand. He smiled slightly and handed it to her, laughing as she almost spit the first gulp of it out, looking horrified as she swallowed the vile drink.

"What was that?!" She hacked between coughs.

"Grog, what else?" The startled look on Joan's face took Kidd off guard for a moment; she seemed suddenly so very lost. Then she grinned, somewhat bitterly,

"Of course. " then went back to the bread, alternating it with bites of the cheese.

It was silent for a while as both simply acclimated to one another's presence.

"What's you name?" Joan looked back at him; she'd been trying to see the book titles in the cabinet.

 _What do I say? Should I give him my real name? A fake one? I bet he'd know if I was lying though, he seems the type._

Finally she blurted out the first she thought of.

"Charles."

 _Oh well done, you are clearly still a master at sounding like an imbecile!_

Kidd looked confused.

"Charles?"

Joan nodded and continued;

"Joan Charles. " Kidd's lips quirked.

"That makes more sense."

The food was all but gone now, and Joan started fiddling with the last few grapes in a semblance of buying time.

 _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

"Miss Charles?" Her head snapped up.

"Hm?"

Kidd's eyebrows were raised expectantly, arms crossed over his chest.

"Our deal?" Joan knawed at the inside of her lower lip.

"Yea, I know." She sighed.

 _Okay, he only wanted to know about the galleon. You can tell him that, no biggie._

"The two soldiers, I'd overheard them talking during the day. Just bits and pieces really," she looked up at Kidd who was focused entirely on her, making Joan blush just a little.

 _Thank the lord for the lack of electricity._

"I was hiding, okay? The morning you found me in the tree? Underneath a uh..overturned boat, by the beach." Here Kidd's eyebrows furrowed, as if he was struggling with a memory.

"Wait, an overturned boat? Chipped paint, almost falling apart, that boat?" Joan nodded. Kidd laughed out loud, putting a hand against his forehead. "God, I was so close! I saw the damn thing from above!"

While Kidd continued chuckling at himself, Joan let out something that was a mix of a laugh and a whimper, not believing how close she'd been to what had seemed like an almost-certain death. Kidd looked up and spotted the amused but worried look on her face and he softened slightly.

He nodded at her to continue.

Joan gulped.

"I knew about the galleon beforehand, how all the cannons were moved to one side to protect the town should the Spanish or otherwise come knocking? The two soldiers, their orders were to sneak aboard and plant explosives, then sneak away as the thing exploded, leaving Nassau vulnerable for attack." she sighed, "I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to shoot at them, I guess I couldn't think of another solution at the time. And since you were practically hunting me I needed to keep moving anyways. " Kidd looked confused.

"But if I were chasing you, why would you defend the town I lived in, a town I helped found? Why not seek help from the soldiers? T'would be the normal thing to do for a young lass."

Joan shrugged, eyes focused on her thumb as it peeled away some skin from one of the grapes. Kidd narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know a lot more than you let on, don't you Miss Charles?"

The fear had returned to her face as she looked back at him. Joan had never been an accomplished liar, something she'd been told her entire life. Something about her eyes, always wide open and as easy to read as a children's picturebook, emotions flowing through as unreservedly as a breeze through open patio doors. She was chewing on her lip again, the tension in the room palpable. The young man across from her looked conflicted, shoulders tense and agitated. "Why won't you speak?"

Joan glared at him despite her fear.

"Excuse me if I don't particularly feel like pouring my thoughts and reasonings out to a man who hunted me through the jungle for stealing something so small as a bag of coins. I saw your collection in that cellar, there were loads more! Besides, Mr. Kidd; you're a-a pirate!"

 _Nice save_ ,

"I have no proof whatsoever that when you're done asking me questions on why I've done as I have the last two days, why my skin is so pale and why I didn't trust those soldiers, that you won't simply throw me overboard when you've gotten what you want? You don't exactly have a forgiving reputation. Captain."

Swift as an arrow Kidd was suddenly perched above her, knife in his hand held to her throat as his other held her down by her clavicles and Joan suddenly had the feeling of being at the mercy of a bird of prey, so elegant and silent had his movements been.

"If I wanted you dead, Miss Charles, or if I simply wanted information, I could easily just torture it out of you if it pleased me. But, you are no threat to me; I have no reason to end you life so drop the act." He pulled back, movements sleek and precise as the knife disappeared somewhere inside his coat as he settled back in his chair. "If anyone else had chanced upon you, say...Vane, you'd be minced meat by now. So speak up, no harm will befall ye."

Jane slowly straightened back up, searching his face for any kind of indication that he was in fact being honest with her.

 _Fuck it all, I'm tired_

In an instant, all energy seemed to seep from her frame and she slouched in her seat, head coming down with a thump to rest in her propped up hands and she sighed deeply.

"In truth, I have no idea how I got here okay? This isn't...this isn't my world. So to speak."

She gazed up at Kidd for a moment.

"I'd watched you, and the others, at the tavern that day. I'd never imagined it would ever be possible for me to meet any of you, despite your notoriety, and with the added disorientation of being in a new place, a new city, new country even, I was lost on what to do. I had no money and no friends who could help me. I figured you'd all have some collective stash put aside especially for Nassau somewhere on the island. I guess I hoped noone would notice; the place didn't look that organized."

Jane raised an eyebrow at Kidd who scoffed lightly.

She continued.

" Then you spotted me. I ran, you pursued. Did I hear right that it was Kenway who was with you that time?"

Kidd nodded, clearly intrigued with the story so far.

"I hid, as you know, in a tree after much running and stumbling about. I don't really understand how I got away from you."

Here Kidd snorted,

"Believe me lass, we didn't either. Still don't. Neither I nor Kenway are exactly slow and, from what you're telling me, we're much more familiar with the island."

Joan nodded, memories of that evening flitting across her vision.

"I'd never even seen a jungle before."

Kidd looked equal parts perplexed, amused and concerned.

Joan suddenly stared at him with determined intensity.

"I thought you were going to kill me."

The creature gazing back at her from his chair looked to her for a moment cold and empty; an automaton.

"I half intended to at the time."

Joan's eyes dropped to his wrists where his arms crossed at the chest, without thinking, settling there.

"What...what will become of me then?"

It was silent.

"I have no kin here, no friends. The only person I know is you and until a few hours ago you were my enemy. I know nothing of sailing, or fighting. I can't even steal properly or handle a musket. I'd be of no use to you nor to any man. I'm not even sure where in the West Indies Nassau is located!"

Kidd looked her up and down, taking in the details of her being.

"Not even a fiance?"

Joan's eyes snapped to his, narrowing in annoyance.

"None."

"Huh. You look like the sort of girl who'd be married already. What have you done with your life then?"

Joan wasn't sure why but she almost felt insulted.

"Well, I suppose you could say I'm a scholar."

Kidd's eyebrows almost flew off his forehead. Joan almost laughed at the sight.

"A scholar?"

 _Bloody men_.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I've spent most of my time so far studying literature and history, a bit of politics. I have never needed a man for that." The bite in her tone was not lost on Kidd who sneaked a smirk back onto his lips.

"You sound like Anne."

He was instantly surprised at the soft smile that spread across Joan's face at the mention of the Irish-woman. For a few seconds she looked rather lovely, despite the residue from the gunpowder and dirt that had smeared across her face.

"You know Anne, do ya?"

The smile faltered and morphed into something secretive and sheepish, making her look like a little girl.

"Know of rather. Much like I know of you." She clarified, eyes subconsciously flickering once more to the hidden blades and this time it did not go unnoticed.

"And what do you know of me then?"

Here Joan's face betrayed her in the worst way possible; she blushed heavily. Kidd grinned roguishly.

 _Stupid blood, now's not the time to play dress-up!_

"Well,...only the usual stories. Son of William Kidd, that lot."

He looked at her searchingly.

"And yet somehow I get the feelin' you know more than you shouldn't. Or your blush is simply due to my dashing good looks."

Joan chewed on her lip.

"And there you go, lookin' all worried again. We've been over this, lass. I won't hurt ye none."

Joan nodded along with the statement,

"I know, it's against your beliefs, right?"

 _Well done, there goes the neighbourhood._

They both froze at the same time, the air suddenly laid heavy with tension.

"Aahh, so that's it, is it?"

"Oh shit."

"Shit's right." He rose from his seat and Joan scrambled to keep the distance between them as he neared while also keeping her eyes on him. Quick as a viper he'd snatched her left ankle and pulled her back to him, hidden blade tearing through the air to come to rest against her throat and this time Joan was sure he'd kill her.

"I-I.."

"You a Templar, Miss Joan Charles?"


	4. Author's Note: Soon!

Hey guys!

This is just a notice from me to you (sorry, no chapter yet!).

I simply want all you wonderful reviewers know that I'm working on the next chapter and hope to have it up by the end of the week but I have a huge (we're talkin' Tyrannosaurus Rex-big) exam on Saturday so bear with my a little longer! I'd rather give you a long juicy chapter that's well worked through than a short one with little to no development.

Hang in there people!

Soon!

Your humble author,

Sloth42


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